Who we are

At Forward Action, we come up with ideas for campaigns that get results - then do the work to create them. We have been in the engine room of some of the most successful election and charity digital campaigns of the last few years, helping our clients add millions of new supporters to their email lists, raise more money online (from more donors) and create campaigns that have led to real-world change.

Forward Action was born out of the General Election campaign of 2015. Joe and Alex worked on a Labour digital programme that set new benchmarks for what a political campaign could achieve online: 1.5 million supporters recruited; £3.1 million raised; 100,000 volunteers mobilised.
Our backgrounds are in charity campaigning, and we knew charities are only scratching at the potential of the results digital can deliver for their campaigns and fundraising. So we founded Forward Action to help revolutionise our clients’ digital programmes, using the approach we tried and tested on the campaign trail: measurable results, creative excellence, and constant innovation and testing.

Meet the team

We are a team of campaigners - developers, creatives and strategists.
We’re all here for the same reason: we believe the work we’re doing makes a difference.

Joe Escalante Coney

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Joe heads up our development team. Before co-founding Forward Action, Joe worked for pro-EU campaign group British Influence and the Labour Party. He led digital tech development and ran the testing and data analysis programme at the Labour Party in the run up to the 2015 general election.

Forward Action Highlight:

“Spending two days sitting in Liverpool Street underground station, using its super fast WiFi to upload four billion pieces of weather data for the SumofUs Birthday Weather tool.”

Alex Lloyd Hunter

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Alex leads Forward Action’s strategy and creative work. Prior to Forward Action, Alex launched and ran the team behind 38 Degrees' "Campaigns by You" petition platform before moving on to work for the Labour Party. He led Labour's email team during the 2015 election campaign, helping the party raise a record-breaking £3.1 million online.

Forward Action Highlight:

“Hiring the Forward Action team! Everyone is passionate, creative and kind, and seeing our team being innovative and delivering excellent work every day makes me incredibly proud.”

Lily Chamberlain

Junior Digital Campaigner

Lily works in our creative team, writing copy, setting up Facebook ads and scanning the news for campaigning opportunities. Before joining Forward Action, she worked in parliamentary advocacy at a human rights charity specialising in the Middle East. In her spare time, she helps to run an All-Party Parliamentary Group that she set up in her former job.

Forward Action Highlight:

“Working with Reprieve to tell the story of the remaining prisoners in Guantanamo Bay – and to convince their supporters to take action for the sake of these extraordinary people.”

Anne Clark

Senior Digital Strategist

Anne has worked in the charity sector since 2011, and has a broad range of experience in bringing campaigns to life online, using digital tools to reach new audiences, build long-term relationships with supporters and generate income.

Forward Action Highlight:

“Helping progressive organisations achieve their full potential online and connect with more people who support their cause.”

Jamie Draper

Web Developer

A proud Huddersfield resident, Jamie built iOS software and web scraping tools before becoming the engine room of our web development team in 2016.

Forward Action Highlight:

“Uploading a spreadsheet of stories submitted by US patients who can’t afford their medication, then seeing all the stories cover the interactive map we built for Patients for Affordable Drugs. It really brought the issue to life – putting a face to the hundreds of people who face these issues everyday.”

Anna Emerson

Digital Communications Manager

Anna has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 10 years, and is our resident wizard with words. She comes up with the copy, concepts and campaign strategy that help our clients hit their goals. She’s previously worked on digital content for Amnesty International, Save the Children and CARE.

Forward Action Highlight:

“Working on World Animal Protection’s Ghost Gear campaign, where we convinced a major supermarket to take action to protect sea animals from lost and discarded fishing gear.”

Michael Thomas

Web developer

As a full-stack web developer, Michael deals with all things technical at Forward Action. Before joining us, he says he built 'boring things for boring businesses'. He now enjoys using his skills to help organisations in the not-for-profit sector.

Forward Action Highlight:

I love tech – so the Faulty Goods Complaint Tool we worked on with Which? was a massive highlight for me. The work we did laid the groundwork and provided the platform for them to expand the tool and build their own in-house which was really satisfying.

Meet our Advisory Group

Our advisory group are a team of highly experienced digital campaigners. They volunteer their time and wisdom to help us keep delivering better and better results for our clients.

Alison Goldsworthy

Ali has 15 years experience communications and campaigning. She was Head of Supporter Strategy and Engagement at the consumer champion's Which? and is now largely based in Silicon Valley leading depolarisation projects after gaining a Masters from Stanford University. Ali is also Vice Chair of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust.

Matthew McGregor

Matthew is a veteran digital campaign strategist. He played a key role in Barack Obama’s 2012 election campaign and has also worked for the Labour party and Blue State Digital - bringing years of campaigning experience from both side of the Atlantic. He is currently Campaigns Director at Hope Not Hate.

Michael Whitney

Michael is an email and fundraising strategist who managed the digital fundraising program for Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign, raising more than $218 million online from an unprecedented 8.5 million individual contributions and 2.7 million donors.

"Your evidence driven approach has allowed us to push forward confidently in new and unfamiliar areas. In terms of shifting mentality and building confidence within our team, your role as trusted and proven experts has been invaluable."